the sick bed, she could never forget. How eloquent had
that glance been, when she had bent over him, and seized his delicate
hand, which he had no longer strength to raise! As she had sat by his
crib, so she now sat by his grave, but here her tears had free course,
and fell thick upon the grave.

"Thou wouldst gladly go down and be with thy child," said a voice
quite close to her, a voice that sounded so clear and deep, it went
straight to her heart. She looked up; and near her stood a man wrapped
in a black cloak, with a hood drawn closely down over his face. But
she glanced keenly up, and saw his face under his hood. It was stern,
but yet awakened confidence, and his eyes beamed with the radiance of
youth.

"Down to my child!" she repeated; and a despairing supplication spoke
out of her words.

"Darest thou follow me?" asked the form. "I am Death."

And she bowed her head in acquiescence. Then suddenly it seemed as
though all the stars were shining with the radiance of the full moon;
she saw the varied colours of the flowers on the grave, and the
covering of earth was gradually withdrawn like a floating drapery; and
she sank down, and the apparition covered her with a black cloak;
night closed around her, the night of death, and she sank deeper than
the sexton's spade can penetrate; and the churchyard was as a roof
over her head.

A corner of the cloak was removed, and she stood in a great hall which
spread wide and pleasantly around. It was twilight. But in a moment
her child appeared, and was pressed to her heart, smiling at her in
greater beauty than he had ever possessed. She uttered a cry, but it
was inaudible. A glorious swelling strain of music sounded in the
distance, and then near to her, and then again in the distance: never
had such tones fallen on her ear; they came from beyond the great dark
curtain which separated the hall from the great land of eternity
beyond.

"My sweet darling mother," she heard her child say. It was the
well-known, much-loved voice, and kiss followed kiss in boundless
felicity; and the child pointed to the dark curtain.

"It is not so beautiful on earth. Do you see, mother--do you see them
all? Oh, that is happiness!"

[Illustration: THE MOTHER AT THE GRAVE.]

But the mother saw nothing which the child pointed out--nothing but
the dark night. She looked with earthly eyes, and could not see as the
child saw, which God had called to Himself. She could hear the sounds
of